They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

DANIEL 5:4KJV
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Daniel 5:4 (KJV)

What does Daniel 5:4 mean?

Daniel 5:4 describes people at a royal banquet drinking wine and giving praise to idols made from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. The verse highlights their devotion to these lifeless objects instead of honoring the true God.

The scene takes place during a lavish feast hosted by King Belshazzar of Babylon, with his nobles, wives, and concubines present. The verse sets the stage for the dramatic events that follow, showing the king and his guests openly worshiping material idols using sacred vessels taken from the Jerusalem temple. This act of idolatry and disrespect is a key reason for the judgment that soon comes upon them.

The Aramaic behind Daniel 5:4

  • "praised" (שְׁבַח, shevach): This word means to give praise or honor. In this context, it emphasizes that the people were actively celebrating and honoring their idols, not just mentioning them in passing.
  • "gods" (אֱלָה, elah): This term refers to deities or divine beings, but here it clearly points to false gods—physical idols made by human hands.
  • The list of materials—gold (דְּהַב, dehav), silver (כְּסַף, kesaf), brass (נְחָשׁ, neḥash), iron (פַּרְזֶל, parzel), wood (עִס, is), and stone (אֶבֶן, even)—underscores the variety and emptiness of the idols being worshiped, contrasting them with the living God.

Why Daniel 5:4 matters

  • Daniel 5:4 makes clear that the people were not just enjoying a party, but were deliberately worshiping idols with the temple vessels, showing a deep disrespect for God.
  • The verse helps explain why the later judgment against Belshazzar is so severe; it is not just a matter of pride, but of open defiance and sacrilege.
  • By listing the materials of the idols, Daniel 5:4 highlights the contrast between the lifeless, man-made objects and the living God whom the Babylonians ignored.

Where else these words appear

“drank” Hebrew H8355 · used in 5 verses

  • Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
  • Daniel 5:2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
  • Daniel 5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

“praised” Hebrew H7624 · used in 5 verses

  • Daniel 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
  • Daniel 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
  • Daniel 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

“wood” Hebrew H636 · used in 5 verses

  • Ezra 5:8 Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.
  • Ezra 6:4 With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:
  • Ezra 6:11 Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

“wine” Hebrew H2562 · used in 6 verses

  • Ezra 6:9 And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail:
  • Ezra 7:22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
  • Daniel 5:2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.